Microwaving a Christmas pudding

I find there's no difference between steaming and microwaving, when it comes to Christmas puddings. They come out really well from the microwave. No more steaming for hours for me.

Or you could get a pressure cooker? Cuts down the steaming time by 1/3 and you only get a tiny bit of steam.

I open the kitchen window a crack. Seems to work.

Funny thing is, that doesn't seem to happen these days. Could be down to climate change. It usually is mild and wet out on pud making day. Quite odd really.

Except for the water running down the windows for 8 hours. My OH gets upset about that if I just boil a small ham.

Microwaves are marvellous things, but not for Xmas puds. They need to be steamed for eight hours, and then given another two hours on the day. This is one time when slow cooking really comes into its own.

Mishap I don't know if that would be ok or not, but - pleeease - do it properly. It's not that big a hassle.

I make two Christmas puddings every other year (October). One is kept in an airtight tin to be re-heated on Christmas day and the other one is frozen for the following year.

They taste much better for keeping and reheating by steaming on a low heat for a couple of hours. You can't over-steam them so not much to worry about really.

Traditional Christmas puddings are mushy IMO. They were originally cooked like this to keep, in the days before fridges and freezers.
I've tried both and I prefer the 'fresh' one, and judging by the requests I had for the recipe, so do others.

It's a case of chacun a son gout.

But Christmas puddings are not meant to be fresh; they are meant to be cooked well in advance and allowed to mature - like good red wine (which can be drunk with them.)

I make mine in early November, lace it well with brandy - like the Christmas cake. let it mature and it is generally well appreciated on Christmas day.

I have used a recipe to make and microwave the Christmas pudding on the day. It was no hassle and tasted the best ever.

I just wondered if it would taste fresher in the day if it was cooked then. But I think I will just go ahead and do it all as usual.

Mishap, why do you want to do this, surely it is more hassle than preparing the pudding, cooking it, and leaving it in a convenient storage place until you need it.

I do exactly what you do and a couple of puddings are sitting on top of one of the kitchen cupboards until I need one or both on Christmas day.

I would freeze the raw mixture- I think that would be the safest method.

This is a departure Ariadne - I was wondering if I could store the raw mixture and then cook it on the day, rather than cooking it now and reheating it on the day. Or will we all finish up on the loo on Boxing Day!?

Always "cooked" a bought one in the microwave when I played the matriarch, with no problems. But honestly, Mishap if that's what you've always done why worry now? (actually, I know why, as a worrying Gran...)

Never tried it Mishap but I would think freezing it would be the best thing or it might start fermenting in the fridge.. be interesting to know if anyones tried it.